Ingot handling assembly



G. G. BARBEE INGOT HANDLING ASSEMBLY Jan. 14, 1969 Sheet Filed Sept. 21,1967 INVENTOR.

GAIL 6. BARBEE 9' BYf a} 94- ,mwel ML,- +211 2 1476? ATTORNEYS UnitedStates Patent 3,421,643 INGOT HANDLING ASSEMBLY Gail G. Barbee, Aurora,11]., assignor to Caterpillar Tractor Co., Peoria, 111., a corporationof California Filed Sept. 21, 1967, Ser. No. 669,487 U.S. Cl. 214147Int. Cl. B66c 3/00 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE It is well knownin the prior art to dispose a clamping lift assembly on the lift arms ofan end loader for lifting and transporting of ingots, barrels and thelike. Such clamping assemblies have also been adapted to provide forside shifting motion of the clamping members. For example, in oneconfiguration, the clamping members are secured for lateral motion upona rack with a separate double acting hydraulic jack interposed betweenthe rack and each clamping member. By appropriate separate orsimultaneous operation of the two jacks, the clamping members could bemoved in either clamping or side shifting motion. However, to permit theoperator to manipulate the assembly, a very complex hydraulic controlsystem is required to effect the necessarily numerous combinations ofactuating fluid flow to the jacks.

The present invention overcomes the above difficulties by pivotallysecuring the clamping members to a parallelogram linkage. A supportstructure slidably secures the clamping members and pivotally securesthe parallelogram linkage. Thus, a double acting motor directlyinterposed between the clamping members may be separately actuated toprovide for clamping motion. A separate doubleacting motor is interposedbetween the parallelogram linkage and the support structure to providefor side shifting motion.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below withreference to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view in elevation of an end loader having the presentingot handling assembly;

FIG. 2 is a partially sectioned side view of the ingot handlingassembly; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan views of the ingot handling assembly whichrespectively illustrate side shifting and clamping motion of theassembly.

Referring now to FIG. 1, ingot handling assembly '11 is illustrated asan attachment disposed on the lift arms 12 of a conventional end loader13. The lift arms are pivotally connected to the end loader with ahydraulic jack 14 interposed between the loader and each lift arm tocontrol the elevation of the ingot handling assembly. Although theinvention is described as an ingot handling assembly disposed on aconventional end loader, it will be apparent from the followingdescription that the invention more broadly pertains to a clamping liftassembly which may be employed as an attachment for an end loader or anysimilar vehicle.

In FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the ingot handling assembly is shown as comprisinga pair of clamping members or tongs 16 which are pivotally secured at 17to a parallelo- "ice gram linkage 18. The parallelogram linkage ispivotally connected by pins 19 to a support structure 21. The tongs areslidably secured upon the support structure by brackets 22, as is bestillustrated in FIG. 2, while a stabilizing linkage, generally indicatedat 23 in FIG. 3, controls the relative position of the tongs. Actuationof a double acting hydraulic jack 2'4 interposed directly between thetongs moves them between their clamping positions, as at 16 in FIG. 3,and their release positions as at 16. An ingot being clamped between thetongs is represented with broken lines at 26. A second double-actinghydraulic jack 27 is interposed between the support structure and theparallelogram linkage to effect side shifting motion of the tongs whilein either clamped or unclamped relation.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a member 28 is disposed at each side of thesupport structure for connection to the lift arms by means of pins 29,see also FIG. 1. A U-shaped channel member 31 is secured between theside members 28 at the rear of the assembly. A crossbeam member 32 isalso disposed between the side members at the front of the assembly, asis best shown in FIG. 2. The parallelogram linkage 18 has a link 33 ateach side thereof pivotally secured to the channel member at one end bypins 19. A pair of cross links 34 are pivotally connected between theforward ends of the side links 33 by pins 17 to complete theparallelogram linkage. Each pivot pin 17 pins together one of the tongs,a cross link 34 above and one below the tong, one of the side links 33and a bearing member 36 which is disposed across the bottom of the sidelinks for sliding engagement with the cross beam 32. The supportstructure also includes an end plate 37 (best shown in FIG. 1) at eachend of the cross beam 32 and a top plate 38 which is of coextensivelength with the cross beam 32. There is sufficient clearance between thecross beam 32 and the top plate 38 to permit lateral motion of the tongsand parallelogram linkage. A rearward end 39 of each tong is disposedwithin the U-shaped channel member, while the brackets 22 hold the tongsin sliding engagement with the channel member.

To provide for clamping motion of the tongs, the double acting hydraulicclamping jack 24 is pivotally connected by pins 41 and 42 to tabs 43 and44 projecting respectively from the two tongs. To control the relativeposition of the two tongs, the stabilizing linkage 23 comprises a pairof links 45 and 46, each pivotally connected at one of the pivot points41 and 42. A pin 47 passes through the forward ends of both stabilizinglinks 45 and 46 and through a slot 48 formed in a rearward projection 49of the upper cross link 34. Thus the stabilizing links and the clampingjack form a variable triangular structure between the tongs and thecross link 34 so that the position of the tongs are controlled relativeto each other while being free to be moved in clamping or releasingmotion in response to operation of the clamping jack.

To provide for side shifting of the tongs, the double acting hydraulicside shifting jack 27 is pivotally connected by a pin 51 to a tab 52 onthe channel member while its rod end is pivotally connected by a pin 53to a tab 54 on one of the side links of the parallelogram linkage. Sideshifting motion of the tongs is illustrated in FIG. 3 where the tongsare shown in a rightwardly side shifted position in response toextension of the side shifting jack 27. A leftward side shifted positionof the tongs in response to retraction of the jack 27 is illustrated inphantom at 16". FIGS. 3 and 4 show that operation of the side shiftingjack causes the parallelogram linkage to pivot about points 19 causingthe cross link 34 and the tongs to slide laterally on the cross beam 32while the rearward end of the tongs are caused to slide along thechannel members. Points 56 are provided on the tongs for gripping of theingot.

Thus, the present invention provides a mechanically simple ingothandling assembly wherein clamping or sideshifting motion of the tongsmay be readily effected by standard double acting hydraulic jacks. Asdescribed above, the clamping motion is simply achieved by extension orretraction of the clamping jack 24. Sideshifting motion of the two tongstogether is accomplished by extension or retraction of the sideshiftingjack When the tongs are in either clamped or released relation.

I claim: 1. A clamping assembly to provide both clamping andsideshifting action, comprising in combination a support structure, aparallelogram linkage pivotally connected to said support structure, apair of clamping members pivotally connected to said parallelogramlinkage, stabilizing means interposed between said clamping members andsaid parallelogram linkage to control the relative positions of saidclamping members, motor means interposed between said clamping membersfor controlling clamping motion of said members, and motor meansinterposed between said support structure and said parallelogram linkagefor controlling sideshifting motion of said members. 2. The assembly ofclaim 1 wherein said support structure is suitable for attachment tolift arms of a vehicle.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said clamping and sideshifting motormeans are double-acting hydraulic jacks.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein said support structure has a rearwardchannel mem ber thereacross and a forward crossbeam,

said parallelogram linkage has a pair of side links forwardly extendingfrom pivotal connections with said channel member and a cross link, saidside links and cross link being pivotally connected to a midportion ofsaid clamping members adjacent said crossbeam,

said clamping members have brackets at their rearward ends for slidingengagement with said channel member, and

said stabilizing means comprises a link pivotally connected to eachclamping member, said stabilizing links extending forwardly to bepivotally connected to a slotted projection at a midpoint of said crosslink.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein a bearing member is disposed betweensaid pivotal connections of said side links, cross link and clampingmembers to be in sliding relation with said crossbeam.

6. The assembly of claim 4 wherein said clamping members are tongshaving means for gripping surfaces of articles to be clamped.

